


crysanthenum, daisy, ash

by heartsinhay



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 09:27:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16951413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartsinhay/pseuds/heartsinhay
Summary: Instead of dreaming about being Sasuke's wife, a young Sakura starts daydreaming about being teammates with her best friend forever Ino instead. She doesn't know if she can really make that happen, but as always Ino has a Plan.





	crysanthenum, daisy, ash

In the very objective opinion of Sakura Haruno, aged six and a half, her best friend Ino was the coolest, awesomest, smartest, strongest, best-est girl in the world.

Ino had rescued her from Ami and her gang of bullies. She was a shinobi girl, a clan heir, and she knew all sorts of things that Sakura's own parents had no idea about. Best of all, Ino liked her huge forehead, and now that they were friends Sakura didn't have to play alone anymore. She and Ino's friends all played pretend together now, house and princess and shinobi, which was the favorite game by far on account of Shikamaru thinking all the others were too girly.

They set it all up the same way every time, leaves for kunai and sticks for swords. Ino made Shikamaru and Chouji join her in the shinobi pose she’d copied from the festival performers last summer. And Sakura was still included, of course, even though teams had to be three people and Ino-Shika-Chou were always a team. Ino always made sure to give her a good role.

Sometimes Sakura was the wise and powerful jounin-sensei, and sometimes she got to be the beautiful princess the team was charged with protecting. That was absolute best, because then Ino would brush her hair and tell her how pretty and special she was. But in her heart of hearts, even though the princess got to have her clothes fussed over and Ino called her 'your most beautiful majesty', Sakura wanted something else.

There was a tiny voice in her head that kept on whispering _more, more_ , but she had never been able to muster up the courage to ask for it. Every time that traitorous longing resurfaced, fear gripped at her, telling her that she was pushing her luck, and she pushed the yearning back down to the deepest recesses of her mind. It was already miraculous enough that Ino wanted to play together: to ask for anything more than that was nothing so much as selfish.

She couldn't say anything, and so she kept silent as Ino did her princess makeup, a generous swipe of mud over each cheek.

"I'm really glad we're friends," Ino said, doing one extra tickly swipe of mud across her forehead, "The boys never let me do their makeup."

She stepped back to admire her handiwork, and her smile was so proud and approving that Sakura felt a burst of courage bubble up in her chest, the whispery voice becoming a roar.

She had to ask, now, before she lost her nerve. The question came out almost as a shout:

"Can I be part of the team this time?"

Even Shikamaru looked at her weird. It might've just been because she'd yelled, but to Sakura it felt like confirmation that it had indeed been a stupid idea. You couldn't just break up Ino-Shika-Chou, not even for a kid's game. She opened her mouth to take back the question, but she couldn't figure out what to say, and—

"That's a good idea," Shikamaru said, eyes already sliding half-closed, "I'll be a prince or whatever. A kidnapped prince. Then I can go nap somewhere until you find me."

"You're so lazy," Ino complained, but instead of trying to get Shikamaru to be on the team again she turned her energies toward arguing with him about rules. Swiftly they determined that he could have a two-minute head start, but he had to stay within a hundred meters of the park, and once he chose his hiding spot he couldn't move.

"Not gonna be a problem. Moving is the last thing I'd want to do."

"Ugh, go hide already! Team Ino has to talk strategy."

Sakura glowed. She was Team Ino, worthy to stand at Ino's side. She spent the whole afternoon in a beautiful daze, as Ino took them through the sleepy Konoha streets around them. Everything felt new and blissful, from the three of them climbing up a tree to see if they could spot Shikamaru somewhere below to Chouji finding a big ladybug, which wasn’t very helpful but very interesting nonetheless. Ino led them with a grim determination that made Sakura think that she would very happily follow Ino into a war.

“We have to find him. I’m not letting Shikamaru win this, not this time. I just don’t know where he is! We’ve looked everywhere!”

“Probably somewhere nice and cozy,” said Chouji, a little wistfully.

“Not everywhere,” Sakura said, and blushed when the two of them turned to look at her, “I mean… we never said he couldn’t go inside, right? So maybe he’s in a building.”

Ino hugged her then, sudden and swift.

“Sakura, you’re a genius! That boy is toast. I know exactly where he is.”

They moved as one towards the teahouse, where, sure enough, Shikamaru was curled up asleep with the cat.

“Aha! Looks like we’ve found you, you lazy butt. We win! What do you have to say to that, huh?”

“Troublesome,” said Shikamaru, and he rolled over and went back to sleep. Undeterred, Ino continued to gloat all the way until dinnertime, and Chouji taught Sakura how to pet the cat without it running away.

She held that memory of belonging with her the next day, telling herself to be content even if it never ever happened again. She hadn’t expected Shikamaru to cede his place on Ino’s team without complaint.

“Seriously, having to play genin all the time is annoying,” he said when she tried to thank him, “You can be on her team forever if you want.”

Sakura snuck a look at Ino. She did that a lot, just to see how to react. Ino was always so confident, whether she was rescuing Sakura from Ami or yelling at Shikamaru. She always knew the right thing to say, or at least she’d still say something even if she didn’t. Not like Sakura, who never really felt sure of anything.

“We should be, right, Sakura? Best friends together forever!”

Ino nudged Sakura and grinned, her smile brighter than even her golden hair shining in the sunlight, and Sakura felt blessed, as if a rare and precious butterfly had landed right on her outstretched hand.

“Yes! Forever and ever and ever and—”

“Whatever,” said Shikamaru, “It’s not a big deal. Let’s just play already.”

  


The years passed, and as Sakura grew older she slowly forgot how nervous she’d been about playing with Ino at the start. She still remembered that she’d used to be worried about Ino liking her, but she didn’t remember what it had felt like to be so unsure. Ino had worked some kind of magic. The fear was gone, and all that remained was the bright, certain core of their friendship.

They were going to be a team, forever and ever. No matter what happened.

A note landed in front of her, pink paper folded into the shape of a heart. Sakura looked over to Ino, who stared right ahead but couldn’t quite hide the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. She unfolded the note.

_Who do you think is the CUTEST in class._

_Maybe Sasuke (Uchiha)_ , Sakura sent back, folding the paper into quarters instead of a heart. It came back to her in the elegant shape of a crane.

_I guess he might be if you’re talking about boys._

_Which girl do you think is cuter than Sasuke, then?_

_ME, duh._

“And if the kunoichi at the back will pay attention, Sakura, Ino…”

Sakura turned red, covering the note with her hand even though it was already too late to hide it. Ino just batted her eyes, innocent and unrepentant, though Iruka-sensei was immune to her attempts at charm.

“Like I was saying, your genin team will be one of the most important bonds you’ll form as a shinobi. I still get lunch with mine every week. The Hokage hand-picks each team based on the reports your teachers have made about your skills and personal compatibility...”

Iruka-sensei seemed so unconcerned for what was to Sakura an earth-shattering statement. Beside her, Ino yawned, already used to half the information in Iruka’s lectures from conversations with her clan, but that was the first time Sakura had ever learned that she had to be chosen for a team, that she had to earn her place by gaining something other than Ino’s regard. 

It felt like someone had stolen the floorboards beneath her, sending her plummeting down into the darkness. When Iruka-sensei was distracted by Naruto trying to pull off a prank in class again, Sakura composed another note for Ino. 

_How did the Hokage decide on Ino-Shika-Cho?_

_Our families always work together. It’s a bloodline limit thing ‘cause I have mind jutsu and Shikamaru can trap people and Chouji protects us. Except nobody ever thinks about what if someone with a cool clan jutsu turns out to be a TOTAL JERK like Shikamaru and then people like me are stuck with him._

Satisfied with her rant, Ino turned her attention back to Sensei’s lecture. Sakura tried to listen, she really did, but she barely registered a word.

If she had to have skills that complemented Ino’s, even more than Shikamaru or Chouji did… She thought about their taijutsu scores, or even kunai practice, and a sinking feeling hit her stomach.

She wrote to Ino:

_I’m a horrible ninja. I need to get better at everything._

Ino’s reply was immediate:

_What are you talking about? You’re the smartest kid in class. Plus the second cutest and the BEST best friend. If you want to get better at taijutsu and stuff, that’s easy._

Sakura felt a nudge at her arm, then Ino took her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

Maybe they would be alright after all. With Ino by her side, Sakura felt unconquerable.There was just one last question…

_Second cutest?_

_I’m not THAT nice. I’m still the first!_

  


They did extra taijutsu practice during recess that day, leaving Chouji and Shikamaru to do… well, whatever the boys did when she and Ino were too busy to care about them. Even though she usually hated taijutsu practice because it made her muscles hurt, with Ino shouting encouragements and making jokes the whole time it was almost okay.

Despite her extra practice, Sakura wasn’t entirely satisfied when lunch was over. Being a better ninja was great and all, but she didn’t think that was enough to get on a team with Ino. She needed to specialize; something to help her stand out.

Her first idea was to talk to Iruka-sensei, who misunderstood and thought she was asking about class material.

“You don’t have to worry about the test. All your homework has been very good, and if there’s anything you’re not understanding I can give you some extra workbooks. What might help the most is paying attention in class instead of passing notes with Ino. I know you like spending time together, but class time is important too.”

“Okay, Iruka-sensei,” Sakura whispered.Sensei had softened his words with a gentle smile, but that didn’t help the immediate flush of shame Sakura always felt whenever she got in trouble.

“You’re a good student, Sakura, and you should be fine for any of the tests coming up this year. If you want to do any advanced study, why not try the library?”

The library! Of course. Sakura thanked Sensei and ran almost all of the way there. She got winded and had to walk halfway through, which brought another rush of embarrassment to her. She really had to exercise more. How else would she be able to keep up with Ino on missions?

Once inside, she walked very quickly to the scroll section, ready to discover a cool new jutsu so impressive Sensei would have to let her pick whatever team she wanted. She walked past scrolls on categorizing jutsu types and the history of certain chakra uses. There were even philosophical treatises on the ethical ramifications of chakra use.

But no matter how hard Sakura searched, the only scroll she could find that actually taught a jutsu was in the housekeeping section and mostly concerned with how to use chakra to select the right produce.

When she went up to the front counter so she could ask the genin at the desk about learning new jutsu, he made a face like she’d just asked him how babies were made.

“Sorry, only genin-rank ninja and up have access to those records.”

“But I’m almost a genin, and I get the highest written grades in my class, and I promise I’m really responsible—”

“No way am I giving an academy student jutsu scrolls. Those are dangerous. You know what could happen if something went wrong?”

“No,” Sakura said, and the genin leaned down to hiss in her face.

“You could die,” he said, “And then I’d be fired.”

That was more than a little disconcerting. Sakura didn’t want anyone else to get in trouble, and she didn’t want to die, either. She accepted the genin’s decision with a sad nod, and left the library with only the produce-shopping scroll in her hand. The genin called after her as she went:

“Hey, if it helps any, you’re not missing out much. All the good stuff’s in the clan collections anyway.”

  


By the weekend Sakura had figured out the fruit jutsu enough to show off a little to Ino, though she still had a lot of memorization to do. Apparently it was different for every fruit and vegetable.

“So I send my chakra out, and then if it feels right… We should eat this pear. It’s the sweetest one in the fridge.”

“Wow,” said Ino, already bringing the pear to the sink to wash, “I know you want the flashy stuff, but this is better than what we learn in class.” She’d lowered her voice so no one could overhear, even though they were at her house.

Unlike some students at the academy (Naruto and Kiba made loud announcements about their aspirations practically every week), Sakura was trying to keep quiet about her newfound desire for improvement. She didn’t like anyone knowing that she was trying for something. It embarrassed her, thinking that other people would know if she failed.

Other people except for Ino, anyway. She couldn’t not tell Ino. Duh.

“I guess it’s kind of helpful, but not on a real ninja mission,” she said. Glaring into the sink, she told Ino everything from her conversation with Sensei to the encounter at the library.

“And if all the good scrolls are in the clan libraries, how am I ever going to read them? It’s not like I can ask my parents. They barely know anything!”

Ino had been listening as quietly as she could, which still included several loud exclamations, but at this pronouncement she sprang up and grabbed Sakura’s hand, dragging her through the halls of the Yamanaka’s home.

“Mom! I’m going to show Sakura the clan library! Can I? I’m going to!”

Koyuki Yamanaka appeared in the doorway in a flash, an apron tied over her jounin flak jacket. Her voice was placating but firm, hands extended outward in what was meant to be a calming gesture.

“Oh, honey…”

Ino stamped her foot, her shocked betrayal turning into mulish determination in the span of a second.

“Why?”

“It’s not that we don’t love Sakura— we do, sweetheart, we love that you come over, and we’re happy the two of you kids are friends. But the Yamanaka library is full of clan secrets, and Sakura isn’t really a Yamanaka.”

“It’s okay,” Sakura said, “We’ll just go back to the kitchen—”

“It’s not okay!”

Ino stepped protectively in front of Sakura, as if her mother was trying to tear them apart instead of merely denying access to a library. Ino was always like this, steadfast and resolute, speaking out instead of getting caught up in how she was supposed to act.

“Why can’t she be clan? She’s here all the time! She’s my best friend, and— And I’m the clan heir! Don’t I get to decide who’s a Yamanaka or not?”

“You may be heir, Ino, but you haven’t inherited yet. Don’t get too ahead of yourself. You can adopt Sakura into the Yamanaka if you still feel the same way in twenty years, how about that?”

“Then it’ll already be too late,” said Ino, finally letting go of Sakura so she could stalk up to her mother in impotent rage. Her eyes darted around the hallway wildly, and Sakura just knew she was looking for something she could get to and throw before her mother could stop her. Finding nothing, and being too old to throw tantrums anymore, she eventually settled on just using words.

“Fine, but if Sakura can’t be a Yamanaka, I won’t be either! I hate you!”

With a furious slam, Ino ran out the door, leaving Sakura and her mother stunned in her wake. Leaving the Yamanaka house— this was Ino’s home! This is where the two of them had played pretend for the first time, where they bundled up for sleepovers and ate summer mangoes directly above the sink. This was a house with walls covered in Ino’s drawings and photographs, every vase filled with flowers she herself had arranged.

Sakura couldn’t let Ino give this all up for her.

“I’m so sorry,” she said to Ino’s mother, who didn’t seem very worried for someone whose daughter had just disowned herself and run off, possibly forever, “I’m really,r eally sorry!”

And with one last apologetic bow, she ran out as well, chasing Ino as fast as she could.

**Author's Note:**

> Ino probably disowns herself at least once a week, so it's not a HUGE DEAL!! to her mom like it is to baby Sakura.
> 
> This fic was inspired by [this discussion on anonimanga](https://anonimanga.dreamwidth.org/639.html?thread=708223#cmt708223), which is a pretty chill place to talk about Asian media. It'll update whenever I have the damn time (rarely) and will be the slowest of slow burns. They've got a lot of growing up to do before they can get together, and this is a Sakura coming-of-age story as well.


End file.
